March 29, 2024
California burning: Lives and property at stake
REDDING - Exhausted firefighters continue to battle wildfires that span the entire state with the most destructive inferno claiming the ninth victim of the deadly outbreak and managers of Yosemite announcing the indefinite closure of the heart of the park.

Jay Ayeta, 21, an apprentice lineman for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., died Saturday while working to restore power near the Carr Fire in Redding, utility spokeswoman Melissa Subbotin said Sunday. His death came as smoke from the Ferguson Fire forced Yosemite National Park to shutter its glorious scenery. Tioga Road from Tioga Pass to White Wolf remains open, but Yosemite Valley is closed at the peak of summer tourist season.

“It is just not safe for visitors and employees in the park,” Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said Sunday.

And as those blazes continue to churn, the Mendocino Complex roaring in Lake and Mendocino counties has grown into one of the largest blazes in California history.

Ayeta is the seventh person to die in the Carr fire — two firefighters and four other people have been killed in the blaze. And two more firefighters have died battling the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite.

Governor Brown announced Saturday night that the White House has approved California's request for a Presidential Major Fire Disaster Declaration. It was submitted to the President to help with the impacts of the wildfire in Shasta County.

FEMA is reviewing the requests for Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties on an expedited basis as preliminary damage assessments continue.

It will help residents recover from the devastating fires burning in Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Shasta counties. “Additional federal assistance is needed immediately to reduce the direct threat to public health and safety,” Brown said.

A Presidential Major Disaster Declaration makes individuals in the impacted counties eligible for a number of programs and support, including crisis counseling, unemployment assistance, food aid and legal services. The declaration would also help state, tribal and local governments with ongoing emergency response and recovery, including the repair and replacement of disaster-damaged facilities and infrastructure, including roads, bridges and utilities.

Earlier, the Governor declared a State of Emergency in Riverside County where the Cranston Fire is nearly contained.

There are 17 major fires currently burning across the state. More than 14,000 firefighters are working the front lines of wildfires statewide.
Story Date: August 6, 2018
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